


Shadow Rendezvous

by Natasja



Series: Adventures in a Galaxy Far, Far Away [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, First Missions, Gen, Jedi padawans, Other, References to Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), but doesn't really affect Canon much, takes place during the series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:48:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24585616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Natasja/pseuds/Natasja
Summary: After two Masters and one disasterous First Mission, Scout has concerns about being taken on her first mission with her new Master.Sure, it sounded simple in the briefing, but Scout has personal experience with how quickly 'simple' missions can go awry...
Series: Adventures in a Galaxy Far, Far Away [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1732684
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	1. Preparations

**Author's Note:**

> For those of you who hadn't read 'Dark Rendezvous', Scout's first Master went on solo missions, and her second Master died on their first mission together.

Scout’s first Master hadn’t brought her on missions.

She had been excited for her first (and only) mission with her reluctant second Master, overjoyed at the idea of finally being a ‘real’ padawan, rather than the over-aged, glorified initiate that so many say her as. That excitement, that joy, lasted exactly as long as it took for Asajj Ventress to kill her new Master in front of her, and for her to reach him just in time to watch him die. They’d finished the mission, Scout and Whie and Master Yoda, but she’d stopped thinking of missions in terms of pride and glory.

Scout was eager for her first mission with Master Windrider, but this time, she knew enough to temper that eagerness with restraint.

Her Master did dangerous work, and almost never partnered with anyone, not even some Knights and Masters, if they didn’t measure up to her very exacting standards. It had earned Master Windrider no shortage of disgruntled semi-rivals who grumbled that the only reason she got away with it was because of her Master, and were told to go and complain to the Master of Shadows, if it meant that much to them. Well, Master Windrider told them to go and complain; Master Windu, if he heard such slander, had rather stronger language at his command.

Scout had queried her Master about that, early in her apprenticeship….

_”Master?”_

_Vaneria Windrider looked up from studying a datapad. “Yes, Padawan?”_

_The mode of address – Padawan, to a Master who wanted her – still sent a tiny thrill down Scout’s spine, but she pushed it aside. “Why don’t you just partner with them for a simple mission? You say they could use the training, and it would make things a lot easier for you.”_

_Her Master smiled, but shook her head. “Easier here, perhaps, but more difficult, dangerous and potentially lethal on the missions themselves.”_

_Master Windrider went on a lot of undercover missions, Scout knew, but the pieces still didn’t quite fit. “Why?”_

_The beautiful Avi’ian put down her datapad and beckoned to her apprentice. “Come here, Padawan, and tell me your observations of those who have approached me.”_

_That was another of her Master’s unique teaching quirks, but Scout found that it worked well for her. Start with the most obvious, and go from there. “They were upset when you refused them. They believed themselves capable, but you didn’t.”_

_Master Windrider nodded. “Why is that important? Why would I consider you, but not them?”_

_Scout had to think for a few moments. “Over-confidence. They didn’t know what the mission was, or whether it would be beyond their abilities, but they decided that they could handle it. I’m intimately acquainted with my limits, and well-practiced in observation and stealth.”_

_A slight smile told Scout that she was correct. “Knowing your own weaknesses can be even more important than knowing your skills. Knight Skywalker, for example, comes from a background that makes him uniquely qualified to predict how pirates, slavers and crimelords will react to something, but the same background disqualifies him for such missions because…?”_

_Knight Skywalker was powerful, but made no secret of the fact that he held the scum of the galaxy in contempt, and struggled to control his emotions when a situation hit too close to home. “He becomes too invested. He wouldn’t be able to leave anyone behind, or let Judicial resolve the matter if it turned out to be beyond the mission parameters.”_

_Another smile. “Very good. More Jedi than most people realise come from similar backgrounds or have had similar experiences – Masters Vos and Secura, myself and most of the Shadows, to name only a few – but not everyone is suited for Shadow work.”_

_That made sense. Her Master’s smile broadened into a wicked grin. “Now, go pick a disguise. We’re going to the lower levels for dinner.”_

Scout had well and truly earned her nickname, but now she was learning even more. Training not just barehanded and with lightsabers, but with blasters and vibroblades. Studying not just fighting styles, but body language and mannerisms and cultures, and how those affected her observations.

Now, Scout was considered ready.

Something had been bothering her Master, though. Was she about to say that Scout wasn’t ready, after all, and would be left behind? It didn’t feel like it, through their bond, and Scout tried not to focus on her anxieties.

No matter how difficult it was.

If her Master didn’t bring it up, Scout decided, she would mention it herself over dinner. Speaking of which… Scout finished her coursework for the evening and got up to prepare something simple. Master Windrider was meeting with the Council of Shadows, and would have enough on her mind without having to make dinner on top of it.

* * *

Master Windrider returned just as Scout was setting the table, still looking thoughtful and conflicted, but she brought up the issue before Scot had to figure out a way to broach it. “Listen to all of what I have to say before you decide, dear one: I’d like to have a sub-dermal tracking implant put in before we leave.”

Scout considered the idea for a moment. Her Master wouldn’t have been fretting over this for days without a good reason. “Why, and why not?”

Pride and approval flickered briefly in her Master’s eyes, “If anything happens, I’ll be able to find you faster, and it’s a precaution against anyone trying to implant anything else if they think you already have one. On the downside, it will also make it easier for others to find you, and put you under closer scrutiny. You’re already a target, and I want you aware of the risks.”

Scout was young, female, red-haired and Force-sensitive (even if only just), the ultimate prize for Slavers and slave-owners. It was one of the many risks that had been drummed into her head over the past weeks. Finally, she nodded, “I know, Master, but I think that the benefits outweigh the risks.”

Her Master smiled, and stroked a gentle hand over her hair. “Then we will go to the healers after dinner.”

Scout swallowed the lump in her throat. This wouldn't be like her last mission. It wouldn't.

She wouldn't let it.


	2. Preparation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit of a filler while I finish outlining the rest of the story.  
> Apologies for the delay, but I'm moving out of my apartment and into a new house, so organising loans and preparing to move took up a lot of my time.

A tiny, hedonistic part of Scout enjoyed the outfit she wore in the last bout of barehand sparring before they left.

Their transport wasn’t due to leave for another hour or so, and Master Windrider had suggested that they make sure Scout was able to move properly in her disguise. Scout was very sure that there were other reasons, likely related to her Master’s ongoing competition with Master Billiba over who could test Master Windu’s blood pressure to the greatest heights, but the reasoning was sound. She’d won a tournament in her Jedi robes, and while she had practice moving in her disguise, she’d never fought in it.

Another, equally small part was gleefully counting and cataloguing the reactions that she and Master Windrider gained as they walked down to the training salle.

It was different to moving in her Jedi robes, the silk-lined synth-leather for more form-fitted, and there was less weight or aerodynamic drag than the layers of tunics. The results of her early bouts were very different, too. Or at least had been before her Master decided that Scout’s fellow Padawans weren’t up to the task.

Normally, Scout’s opponents faced her with an odd mix of wariness and condescension. This time, they were unfocussed and slow to react. Scout knew that she was pretty, by Human and near-human standards, but she hadn’t expected this. There was no way her Master would let her run around in the kind of things Ahsoka Tano wore - Torgrutas were far more durable than Scout’s quarter-Vorzydiak self - but Scout’s homeworld was known for it’s casinos. Surely there would be some wiggle-room if Scout asked to… update her wardrobe after they returned from the mission!

Scout shelved that thought just in time to spin out of the way of her Master’s blade, something between the swords of Gala and the beskad of Mandalore. That was another new thing; she would not be able to count on her lightsaber this mission. Scout parried the blow awkwardly with her vibro-blade, and retaliated with a punch that her Master only just deflected in time.

Whie, sparring with a few other padawans, tripped over his own feet in a way he hadn’t done since he was an initiate. The others merely stared, or turned bright red. Master Windrider certainly earned her stares; the tightly-laced vest and kilt, vibro-shivs strapped to both calves, (There was an armour-weave underlayer that blended seamlessly with Master Windrider’s skintone, as well, but the fewer people who knew that, the better.) showed off a lot more skin than most padawans regularly saw, even those with Togruta and Twi’lek creche-mates. Scout was at least mostly covered, even if her synth-leather clothing suggested and hinted at a lot more than she was used to showing.

Her Master had told her that it was the dancer’s outfit she had worn on her Stealth exam, a highly active tale that was as amusing as it was impressive. (Scout hadn’t known that her Master was the one to have brought her to the Temple, even if she had been abandoned on the front steps, first.) Scout’s Grandmaster was going to be far less pleased about it.

* * *

A flash of amusement, clear even to Scout’s limited senses, came from the edge of the salle, distracting her just enough for Master Windrider to score a kill point. Scout lowered her vibroblade and bowed (Whie tripped over his feet again when the movement exposed a little more than Scout intended), glancing over to see Master Billiba and Caleb, the latter blushing a darker shade than usual. Master Windrider bounded over, the Lineage-sisters kissing each other’s cheeks in greeting. “What brings you here?”

Master Billiba smiled, “Master promised me a bout of sparring. You have about two minutes.”

Master Windrider’s answering grin was one of pure mischief. “Indeed. Well, Padawan, I believe it’s time we left; our ship is waiting for us.”

That, and Master Windrider wanted to avoid a lecture from her own Master, or leave the other unfortunate inhabitants of the Salle to deal with the fallout. Scout approved of that plan very much; she could feel Master Windu radiating suspicion and annoyance from here. Several other Jedi abruptly abandoned the sparring mats, moving to the cool-down areas and trying very hard to diminish their presence in the Force and blend into the walls. Scout resisted the urge to giggle. “Yes Master.”

* * *

The sound of shouting was just barely audible when they reached the hanger, and Master Windrider snickered as she began the flight procedures.

Scout released her anxiety into the Force; this mission would not be like her last.

It wouldn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gala appears in Jedi Apprentice 4: the Mark of the Crown, where a prince uses a sword to fight then-palawan Obi-Wan Kenobi  
> Scout's homeward is listed on Wookiepedia as Vorzyd 5, which is referenced in Jedi Apprentice 18: the Threat Within. Vorzyd 5 developed a reputation as a gambler's world, so while the native Vorzydiaks are only near-human, with small antennae and yellow-green skin, the Human Obi-Wan managed to go undercover on Vorzyd 4, so I'm assuming that other species migrated there once the casinos were built, and giving Scout a touch of non-human ancestry.

**Author's Note:**

> This is just the first chapter, but suggestions and comments on things you'd like to see happen are welcome. I don't promise to use all of them, but this is my first time really venturing out of established Canon, so fire away.


End file.
